Nothing i mean nothing good came out of my time in prision, i mean man oh man, well whatever i guess.

I learned a tremendous amount while I was inside. I worked very hard to change my lifew and the behavior that landed me in prison. In some ways, as strange as it may sound, it was the best thing that ever happend to me.

i agree with oz.................what could be good in prison........hhhmmmm....learning how to bench 400 pounds..........learning how to fight off five dudes tring to rape me..............having a couple of guards beat the shit out of me..............getting out and not being the same man i use to be................wow

I have never been in prison, but I do have penpal and he says that going to prison saved his life and made him see the light. He says if it weren't for prison he would be still on the drugs and not seeing his family and running from the law. He was on the run for months, and well he didn't get to see his little girl or his mom, dad, and sister. He says he sees now after being in prison that he done a lot of stupid stuff, that the drugs made him do. And that prison was the best thing for him. Just my 2 cents.

I know my husband feels much differently. Because of prison he got off the drugs and booze and will continue to stay off them when he comes home. Because of prison he met and married the LOVE of his life. Because of prison he found peace within himself and a religion that he strongly believes in - something he did not have before that. Because of prison he was able to understand WHY he did the self-destructive things that lead him to incarceration and has made the necessary changes in himself to avoid those negative behaviors.

WE BOTH firmlly believe that the Gods sent him to prison to not only meet me, but to save his life. He probably would be dead now if he had not gone to prison.

Mrsdragon I'm With You All The Way!!!!! Prison Has Also Changed My Husbands Life In The Same Ways!!! Thanks For Wording It Perfectly!!!! Good Luck And Best Wishes To The Both Of You!!!

Most of my penpals are pretty much thankful they went to prison. It changed their life in various ways. Most of them were on the wrong track in life. One penpal is now working on his MBA while in prison. Two others are working on their bachelors degrees.

Prison is what you make of it...

you know they do have long term treatment for people...........that saved my life.......sure once in prison i did more drugs than when i was out........treatment saved my life.......but thats just my opinion.....good luck to your loved ones.......alot of people start using when they get out.......just cause they have the freedom too....prison made me a more f'd up person i do know that ...but anyway good luck to your loved ones...i hope they stick with it....peace

Um no, no one here at PTO is joking with this forum. Just because nothing good happened to you in prison, doesn't mean someone couldn't actually have a positive experience. I agree prison is a horrible place, no doubt about that...but a good experience or two for maybe someone is possible.

I have never been to prison myself, but I can honestly say that it ABSOLUTELY saved my boyfriend's life. I can almost guarantee that if he hadn't been locked up, he would be dead on the streets.
I know that prison isn't a happy time, nor is it a time that you really want to remember, but if you can sit back and realize why it is that you ended up there, and what you can do differently when you get out, well, I would say that is a positive.
And, like someone else said, prison is what you make of it.
"........hhhmmmm....learning how to bench 400 pounds..........learning how to fight off five dudes tring to rape me..............having a couple of guards beat the shit out of me..............getting out and not being the same man i use to be................" I know prison is different for everyone, but my boyfriend didn't learn to bench 400 lbs, he never had to fight off five dudes trying to rape him, and the guards never once tried to beat the shit out of him. Getting out and not being the same man he once was? Well, thank God for that!!!
Anyways- we all have a right to our opinions here, but this forum is specifically for the good things that can and do come out of prison. My boyfriend is example #1!

My man always tells me it saved his life and he wouldnt be the man he is today without prison . Like I tell him all the time " you have do your time not let your time do you" ! It is alll what you make of it, you cant change someone unless they want to change!

I think prison will definately change a person. Not always for the good either,sometimes it will consume that person till theres nothing left of their soul.Prison don't seem to rehabilitate, I dont think they care about making someone a better person, They are only concerned about punishment.The person themself has too want a better life and be strong enough to make that change. I think the key to sucess is having a good support system at home and being a positive person.

Chris will be the first to tell anyone that prison isnt a happy and fun place to be. He hates that place as much as anyone, but he is also at a point in his life where he can see the blessings of prison. As I've said over and over when I first met him on the street I had no interest in who he was. It wasnt until he went back to prison and became the person that he is now that I fell in love with him.

I'm not going to say prison or life on the street after prison is easy, but its all about what you make of it and what you learn from it.

When my fiance was captured, he was kneeling in the middle of a busy street, with a loaded gun to his temple...ready to end it all.

For all the horrors he has witnessed and experienced while in prison, his incarceration has actually made him a better man. Kind, compassionate, concerned for others...he has reconnected with his spiritual side (always a good thing), and is now looking at long-term goals, rather than just living for today (as he did on the streets). He wants to make amends to his son, whom he has never met, and is in the process of establishing contact with him. He has strengthened his relationship with his father, which is a blessing on both ends.

It's been a very rough road inside, for him and many others....but if he wasn't where he is, he would not be alive today. Even in the middle of all that negativity, there are positives, if you know how to look for them.

im sure most of your hubbys dont want you to know the truth of what goes on in prison..............but sorry if i offended anyone.....if anyone wants to know the truth feel free to pm me...........peace to you all and good luck...i hope your loved ones get out soon...thanks

xandersick,

This is close to straight talk and sometimes we need to hear the truth. Yes some of our loved ones shield us from parts of their prison life, but in MY case, my husband knows me better than I know myself so he doesn't fill me with all the gory details that he knows would upset me.

I look at things this way here on PTO.. if you are reading and/or posting in straight talk or other some other forums then some things that are said can be upsetting to some... if you come out to the other forums such as a state forum or in hear to hear you, its appreciated if you are "gentle" on us! I see nothing offensive in your posts here in THIS forum!

Prison was the best thing that could have happened to me, don't get me wrong it was the worst time of my life, but I was responsible for my crime and time. I do have to admit I would not be here now, if it had not been for my time.

I was on a self destructive road, because of my bitterness and hatred of the system over my niece's conviction, I think I would have eventually taken someone with me to my death if it had not been for my arrest and two very caring ladies I knew inside, and two other dear souls here at PTO, all dear friends.

I don't like to talk about prison much, at least my experience, but I can testify to the fact that if it had not been for the changes I decided were necessary in my beliefs and life, while there, I would be dead now and worse still, I possibly would have caused the death of someone else.

Patti

Prison can not be easy on anyone. It is good if somehow some positive can come from it, like the stories I have read in this thread. I am glad that everything did work out for the best, sometimes it a miracle in diguise (and it can be a very nasty disguise at that).

Everyone is entitled to their opinion - especially here on PTO. That's why I love this site.
Everyone will experience things differently in life, whether in prison or on the outside. I think the best thing is to learn from each other's experiences. Thank you to everyone that posted their own personal testimonies or their loved one's stories.

I will tell you that I never dealt with jail/prison at all in my life until my two innocent friends wound up in prison for a crime they didn't commit. It's been 14 years folks, but they are still fighting for their freedom with family/friends and supporters along side of them. It it the worst thing to happen to the wrongfully convicted.

I will not speak for my friend's, but I can tell you what I have learned through their experience...

~I have learned to be more compassionate and less judgmental.

~I have learned that God has given me a voice and I am to use it to cry out in defense for those who have voices, but no one will listen.

~I have been given an opportunity as a tax payer, registered voter, law abiding US citizen and Christian to stand up for those who have been treated unfairly and unjustly by officials that were elected into office and who can be voted back out!

~I have been privileged to know that there are others out there fighting for their loved ones and have extended themselves to me even though their "plate" is completely full and overflowing.

~I have been extended friendships that I may not otherwise have been afforded in my life.

~I have learned to love people not for what they can do for me, but because of the enormity of their heart.

VERY WELL PUT OHIO GIRL!!!! I HAVE ALWAYS SAID FROM THE GET GO THAT PTO AND PRISON IN GENERAL HAS MADE ME A BETTER PERSON. I AM NO LONGER SO QUICK TO JUDGE!

Thank You, Ohiogirl,

For the gentle reminder that though I have been to prison and back, that I am here for my niece, and to cry out for a 16 year old child who was put in prison for life, and has been in prison for eight years for something she did not commit. Holly will be 25 this year and she has given up far too much of her life for a crime she did not commit.

Thank You for reminding me that I, like you, and many others, am here so that those who are facing what we have faced will not face it alone, so that they and their families know that they are not alone and there are others who are willing to speak when they cannot.

That though, I can never vote again, I do have a voice, and combined with the chorus of others can and will overcome injustice.

Thank You,

Patti

....prison made me a more f'd up person i do know that xandersick, at this point in your life, you surely know you have choices. You can choose to turn your experience around and learn from it. Or you can choose to allow it to guide you in bad directions. You don't HAVE to be f'd up. You can use your experience to teach others going down that same path where they DON'T want to end up. If you can save just ONE child, ONE lost soul from going to prison, then your experience turns out to be a positive one ;)

My husband absolutely HATES prison. And because of that, he's learned to hold sacred the little things in life. He's taken accountability for his mistakes and realized that the "fast lane" isn't all that glorious. He now thanks GOD for his family and his life and NEVER wants to mess up his freedom again. HE relaizes life is short and what's important is family. Yes I would have to say GOOD has come out of his incarceration. Being locked up isn't a picnic. YOu can choose to be angry about it and continue to buck the system, use drugs, hussle and learn nothing. OR you can choose to use this time to reevaluate your own life and figure out ways to make your life better, with more meaning. Learn how to be a productive law abiding citizen. Learn how to love your family, your friends but MOST importantly YOURSELF.

Stacy

I believe it is up to the individual person wether or not they decide to try to take and learn something from their prison experience. I wouldn't trade the time I did for anything in this world.... if for nothing else... for the lessons I learned...

Like, never chase a softball if it's hit over the fence... Heheh... just kidding all...

Seriously though... the most important thing I learned was gratitude... I never once appreciated all the little things in life until I had them stripped away from me. I was forced to grow up... i had to look at my life and what all I had accomplished. I changed in prison... and thankfully for the better. When someone now complains that the bills are due and they don't know how they're gonna pay them... I say "thank god for bill collectors"!
Just my thoughts

You got it right Ozzie. Nothing good ever came out of a prison. It is another world. It warps your thinking. You learn another set of rules. The kill or be killed syndrome. You struggle each day to maintain your sanity. You fight with yourself. You fight with your loved ones. You fight with the system. You fight with those around you. You struggle to retain some semblance of dignity. The system tries to make you cower at their power. You learn to hate. You learn to supress feelings. You learn might is right in the fight for survival. And then they let you out . . . Yeah they let you out! And you are supposed to be rehabilitated. A changed man. Changed from what to what? I managed to maintain the rage but I think I turned it around. See From Jail to Journalism 1 & 2 in the ex-prisoners forum stories etc. I developed a new perspective but the prison mentality is still firmly embedded in my brain. It never leaves you. These days little things make me appreciate what freedom is about. Man, in 18 years jail time the one thing I never heard in a prison during those prison nights was a baby's cry - yep a baby's cry. Strange isn't it! Such an insignificant sound had such an impact on me when I got out. I have rambled on enough. cheers to all Oz ex-prisoner.

I wanted to thank you guys for telling it like it really is here. I appreciate hearing the truth, the truth is what can help me learn to deal with my man. I see the difference in what a lifetime of prison has done to his very soul. True my stepson says prison is saving his life from heroin ... but he is 24. My boyfriend is in his 50's and I see that prison has taken a self confident, strong, handsome young man and turned him into ... well I'm still trying to figure it out. He's lost so much confidence and self esteem and he tortures himself with regrets. I appreciate one of you guys offered we could pm you, I will do that cause I really need help. He's confusing. Thanks again and best wishes!! :)

Everyone is entitled to their opinion - especially here on PTO. That's why I love this site.
Everyone will experience things differently in life, whether in prison or on the outside. I think the best thing is to learn from each other's experiences. Thank you to everyone that posted their own personal testimonies or their loved one's stories.

I will tell you that I never dealt with jail/prison at all in my life until my two innocent friends wound up in prison for a crime they didn't commit. It's been 14 years folks, but they are still fighting for their freedom with family/friends and supporters along side of them. It it the worst thing to happen to the wrongfully convicted.

I will not speak for my friend's, but I can tell you what I have learned through their experience...

~I have learned to be more compassionate and less judgmental.

~I have learned that God has given me a voice and I am to use it to cry out in defense for those who have voices, but no one will listen.

~I have been given an opportunity as a tax payer, registered voter, law abiding US citizen and Christian to stand up for those who have been treated unfairly and unjustly by officials that were elected into office and who can be voted back out!

~I have been privileged to know that there are others out there fighting for their loved ones and have extended themselves to me even though their "plate" is completely full and overflowing.

~I have been extended friendships that I may not otherwise have been afforded in my life.

~I have learned to love people not for what they can do for me, but because of the enormity of their heart.


Greetings Ohio girl from the land down under. :) I can understand the sheer frustration and futility of being incarcerated and being innocent. It happened to me on two occasions and totalled 3 years out of my life but in my case I have been a villian most of my life and I guess wrongful imprisonment could be regarded as an occupational hazard for a career criminal! :eek: I have racked up 18 years jail time - 15 for things I did and 3 for things I was not good for -so whichever way you look at it I came up losing all way round anyway. During my last stint (10 for bank robbery) I met a young guy who maintained he was innocent of the stick-up they had him in jail for. He was convicted on dna evidence. To cut a long story short. I believed him - he had no reason to lie -and there was a hell of a lot of discrepencies in the supposedly foolproof dna evidence against him. I promised him I would pursue his case when I got out and stuck to my word. Independent investigation by Australia's foremost dna expert confirmed what I already believed. The dna evidence was bodgie. The ABC-TV Catalyst program also did an independent investigation and found the dna evidence faulty. I am still battling to have this guy's case ventilated further and hopefully help to get him out where he belongs. I did a crash course on dna and its ramifications in the justice system and came up with some alarming stats both here in Oz, New Zealand the US of A and Britain. I then put his story into print. I called it DNA and The Justice Game. If you are interested it is posted at PTO in The Other Side of the Wall parts 1- 9 and it was recently posted at www.onlineopinion.com.au I have found that the more people who know about these miscarriages of justice the more chance there is of the travesty being righted. Keep fighting for them guys Ohio girl your stamina and resillence, and that of their friends and supporters, is the ingredient that can uplift spirits to unimaginable heights for those who have been wrongfully imprisoned when everything else seems to be closing in around them and the flame of hope seems to be momentarily flickering out. cheers from the land down under. :thumbsup:

To Oz and Ozzie -- I'd like to present the two of you with a mental medal for the scars you've earned as a result of your incarcerations and also with a trophy for expressing the gritty in the nitty.

What I'm interested to know is from the women who said incarceration changed your men for the better. I have absolutely no interest in the men who are still locked down and who've changed for the better. What my interest is is have you SEEN the change in your RELEASED man who'd been sent up for either drug dealer or drug using and who've been RELEASED for at least one year already. I have no interest in the men who are still locked up because I already know they change while they're locked up.

I ask because "prison made my husband a better man too WHILE HE WAS INCARCERATED". However, when he got released, the effects of what Oz Ex-prisoner said is what I had to deal with, UNTIL HE GOT SENT BACK UP. That's when "he became a changed for the better man again", and then when he got released again -- ditto again to what Oz Ex-prisoner said, which confirms that in the case of my husband, the incarcerated and what goes on inside mentality stays with you.

He'll be home again in a few years AND BECAUSE HIS NEXT STINT COULD GET HIM 15/20 TO LIFE, I'm expecting him to be that "changed man for real this time."

I'm also wondering whether Oz Ex Prisoner and Ozzie feel "the threat of 15/20 to life for one more mess-up" will make a difference in what my husband does AFTER his next crack at freedom. Of course you don't know -- know one knows -- but it's enuf to make you really wonder if he can keep it together in society. Personally, I believe that the 15/20 - life threat won't make a difference at all. That the ONLY thing that will make a difference is my husband's level of maturity based on the lessons he's learned from the experiences he's had in society along with his drive to stay off drugs.

Like the other men, he absolutely hates prison but that's not a good enuf reason for him to stay out or even it be declared his rock bottom. If it was, then he'd of stayed out when he got out back in 1/98, instead of since getting out and returning some 4 times since then. I seem to believe that prison is his comfort zone but he says I'm wrong with that because he contends that he really hates prison. I believe it's his comfort zone because in there he never earns tickets, he never gets in trouble, because he's got personality topped with charisma he affiliates with no gangs for protection and because beef doesn't come to him because of his personality nor does he bring it on, he doesn't need the protection or the clicks in the first place. The other inmates think he's great, and they even applaud him because with him being a big/built guy he's not of a mentality where he tries to punk and take other guys stuff the way big strong guys in prison are stereotyped on tv. Further, he is the perfect inmate husband. When his two feet hit free ground though it's like the guy Oz Ex Prisoner spoke of is the guy who arrives at my door with the smile and open arms. We can do seven years with not one argument, yet two weeks after release we are arguing 6.7 days out of the week, every week.

xandersick,

Yes some of our loved ones shield us from parts of their prison life, but in MY case, my husband knows me better than I know myself so he doesn't fill me with all the gory details that he knows would upset me.
MrsDragon, it's not just your husband -- I think it's a general thing because for the most part the fellaz don't tell us what's going on in there. I mean they may tell us a lil this or a lil that or sometimes divulge some juice, but fars what's really going on in there, the gore, the nitty gritty -- across the map it's just something they really don't talk about. So what I'm saying is I don't think they are shielding or protecting us from ugliness so they keep their talks with us gentle -- I just feel they feel what goes on in there is really nuthin to talk about, so, they just don't talk about it.

I'm wondering about the initial post about nothing good coming from the time spent in prison. This being straight talk, I hope this isn't too straight.

You didn't go to prison to be rewarded.

If it was an inconvenience, then maybe you shouldn't have broken the law. I doubt you thought that prisons were Club Med before doing whatever you did to earn the trip, so you're disappointment in the experience is puzzling.

Prisons are meant, at least in part, to separate people from society that have demonstrated an inability or unwillingness to abide by the laws that have been accepted as legal and proper. It's not where you go to get educated. Work is where you go to earn money to go to school and home is where you go after school to study and do homework. That gets you educated.

It's not meant to be where you find religion. Churches are good for that.

It's not meant to be where you earn a living. That's what jobs are for. 5-6 days a week, 8-12 hours a day, every day. Not just when other things don't come up.

If you get educated, religious or rich in prison, then good for you, and you're welcome, because I helped pay for it. And the kicker is that if you went to prison for a criime against another person, and if that person pays taxes, then they helped pay for it, too.

Nothing good happened to buy your way into prison, either. And there are no programs to rebuild businesses that are burned down by arsons, or families split apart by a bullet to take another man's property, or anything else. Very often, the victims pay as long or longer than the offenders.

If you gained nothing from the experience, then that's a shame. That was the only chance for something good to come out of a crime.

And there are no programs to rebuild businesses that are burned down by arsons, or families split apart by a bullet to take another man's property, or anything else
I believe you are wrong in this statement.
Let's say for a minute that you are totally correct in this statement. Do you think this is right? Maybe some of the changes that should be made include criminal and victim rehabilitation. It sounds as if you feel the system is sound and working correctly ie you break the law-you go to prison, you get victimized-that's life, deal with it, we put the guy in prison for you.

I don't know what I said that would make you think I feel like the system is all that great.

What I said was that the effect of the crime lives on with the victims and the offender after the cell door closes. And I pointed out that there are programs, such that they are, in prison to help them with - be it AA, drug programs, anger management, etc. But if a business was burned down and ruined, or someone killed, there's nothing to help undo that.

My point was that whatever happened to put him in prison was bad for everyone involved, and I said that him not taking advantage of any programs or coming to terms with what prompted the offense while inside was a lost opportunity.

Prison saved my life. If i hadn't have gone there, I would have still been out there using and drinking. I met a lot of good people inside. A lot of correctional officers and teachers that really wanted to help. I got my AA degree while in. I completed 2 two year technical degree's and I re established my relationship with my mother. I got into the straight talk program and i have been doing it since my release. I still to this day go to the schools and treatment centers around the area. things change while people are in. All a person has to do is have the will to want to change, have the motivation to do it, and the support form family and friends, and he or she will accomplish anything.

So i totally disagree with you oz, sorry, My 6 1/2 years. I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. It has made me who i am today. It has brought the peopel into my life that are currently in my life. And i have learned form mistakes of my past and others past. We learn a lot from people on the inside. Both good and bad, its all about what you want to take with you when you leave.

Frozen.
Ex inmate, served 6 1/2 years in the MDOC

FrozenInMinn

I know this question is a little unfair...but if you were in the same position exactly today as you were before (but with today's penal system) do you know if you would be better off, worse off or the same?

My point was that whatever happened to put him in prison was bad for everyone involved, and I said that him not taking advantage of any programs or coming to terms with what prompted the offense while inside was a lost opportunity.
I have to agree with all you've said. The system as a whole may not be great, but the fact still remains that most of our loved ones did someting to get there. The amount of time given may not always fit the crime, but I have to agree that on some levels I do think that is something they should have thought about before committing the crime. Im not for one minute saying if your wronged by the system then you shouldnt fight it, but at the end of the day when you cant change whats happend then you have to remember that you did have a choice to be there

I know that Chris has learned a lot from being in prison. He has taken advantage of every class and program that is offered on the inside. I know that not all prisons offer the same things, but for those who can they should really use the tools given to become a new person

FrozenInMinn

I know this question is a little unfair...but if you were in the same position exactly today as you were before (but with today's penal system) do you know if you would be better off, worse off or the same?

Well I know that MDOC system is getting worse. I would have to say that i would be worse off in this respect. MDOC has cut all of its college programming. They have cut jobs and cut funding for a lot of things. Therefore there are less correctional officers, more inmates, with less things for them to strive for. It is a proven fact that Education reduces the recidivism rates. Miles D Harer, a sociologist from the University of Penn does studies on this all the time. If you ever want to read any of them do a google search on Miles D Harer. He is one of the most profound, and well respected sociologists today. And he backs up EVERYTHING he says with FACTS and STUDIES and NUMBERS.

I think i would be worse off though. I would still have the love and support from my family but i think some prisons like in Minnesota we are just running out of room. This is bad, becuase now they ship inmates all over the US. Keeping them further and further from their families.

I don't know if i answered your question the way you liked. If you were looking for something different please ask again.

Pete

Unfortunately you confirmed what I already expected...its just useful to have it from somebody who knows. Indeed, I have done a fair amount of reading.
Being close to ones family and friends and have them visit regularly is also proven to be important to reduce recindivism, so sending people all over our huge country is another negative part of the system today.
Thanks (for many of) your posts.

titantoo,

it's so nice to have you as a member of PTO

I dont know.... I did my time, 2.5 years and came home clean. I am 43 and this is the 1st time in my adult life I am not doing something illegal in the background.. I really cannot say weather or not it was the time, work release or the threat of going back for life if I screw up again. I spent 14 mos WR and 14 in max. It really sucked. But I am drug free and living my life. I was a total freaking mess once upon a time. I am better now......

maybe it helps, if you are ready to let it...

I learned a tremendous amount while I was inside. I worked very hard to change my lifew and the behavior that landed me in prison. In some ways, as strange as it may sound, it was the best thing that ever happend to me.

I also learned a lot about myself while I was in prison. I learned about some of the causes of my behavior that put me behind bars and I learned how to better manage that behavior.

Prison was a particularly difficult experience for me but I do believe I belonged there and I deserved the punishment I got.

Laura

I know that it changed me... and I just worked in one!! I know that I'm not the same person that I first was when I went thru the gate... don't know if I ever will be. Time will tell.

Yes I am actually grateful that I went to prison. I learned more about who I was and what I wanted to do with my life than ever before.

When we live life, we are supposed to learn lessons. If you never learn anything, or not taking something positive from life and the lessons you learned then what good is it?

No prison may not me a good thing, but the expieriences and life lessons learned are good. IF you make them that way.

For me I didnt get anything positive from it at all. I guess by the time I got to prison I was already hardened. Prior to prison I started out in juvi's for most of two years and then lived on the streets so by the time I got to prison it wasnt a shock to my system. But I had a lot of bad experiences when I was in prison and was very bitter and empty when I was released. I remember that I felt absolutely nothing about everything.
There were no programs or anything positive when I was there. I had one visit and that was from a nun that I didnt know. All interactions I had were negative when they did happen and I was in survival mode the whole time I was there.
But on a brighter note, I have changed since then, but it took a number of years before I got to that point where I was going to make changes for myself.
I will say that there are still things that remind me of being in prison, even after all these years. Not things like visiting my husband in a prison, or talking to someone on here about it. What reminds me are things like walking into a narrow space, or something snug around my neck or being around too many people at once. Im bound to have a nightmare that night. I know that deep inside me there is still that negative memory or maybe its a scar in my soul.
Mind you, we all have something negative in our past and how we carry on afterwards is what really matters.
I think if you are just fresh out of prison and nothing amazing helped you, then you have to have patience and give yourself time to adjust. If you dont have a good support system in place it will take time to find yourself again. After all in prison they do what they can to make sure you are a non-person. You will find yourself or even a new self eventually if you want that bad enough.
There are people who have done amazing things after being in prison. For me, it was breaking the chain of behaviour and stop being a lost soul, for others they get out of prison and start PTO !!! Its all good stuff so long as you dont go back again.